I was a 17 year old, working in an office as a Receptionist, it may not sound like the most ideal job, but I loved it – I really enjoyed working in that environment, it used to be like an extended family of mine in the office.  Not a single day was boring, we had buyers and suppliers coming in and out , the whole buzz was there, there’s no track of time! Suddenly, you’d realize that it’s lunch time and before you know it, time to go home. 

Just like any family, this family too used to have its fair share of tiffs and of course the usual office politics, I was one of those types who used to try to please everybody, saying NO was a difficult task.  In the end, it used to keep me up in the office till late evening because I would try to complete all the tasks which I took upon myself because I couldn’t say NO in the first place. Saying no was a sign of weakness, in my eyes. For me it was like , there’s nothing in this world that I cannot do!

One day I broke down, can’t remember exactly what happened, but something upset me and I brought it to my Director’s attention, and what he told me that day has made a heartprint 10 years on also, I remember the pearls of wisdom and realize how true it is!

I was upset about not making someone happy but felt it wasn’t entirely my fault, he just asked me a question

“How many people are there in this office?” He asked.

I replied “25″

He said “If you are keeping half of them happy, I think you are doing a Good Job!”

That time I was pacified, but over the years – that line has made a difference in my life.

It made me realize you simply cannot please EVERYBODY that you know, and if you are doing so, then definitely you aren’t being true to yourself.

Everyone won’t accept you for the way you are, people will give their opinions on every little thing you do, from your hair to your shoes, from the way you talk to the way to walk, from the friends you keep to the friends you should keep, while choosing to be ‘YOURSELF’ you may not “please” many people along the way. 

That’s why my dear friends – here’s a lil quote to ponder about again

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”

Boy has it been a long time since I last blogged or what?

Everytime I think of blogging, something comes up (facebook poker) and I just let this be, but I missed sharing my thoughts in this space…

Well since the title is 17 again yes I am gonna speak about that movie………I LOVED IT!

For the record it isn’t a chic flick as most people think it is….. *****spoiler alert***** I will be talking about the movie. so If you haven’t watched it – this is your chance to not read further.

I loved this movie – it may not be the best movie but all of us at some point or the other in life always look back and wonder how our life would be had we taken another path or we just wish that life would give us another chance at doing the same thing over again and swear to god we know we’d do it different and right this time.

When I first watched the trailors of this movie, I really thought that’s what the movie is about - it’s a fantasy come true! SOmebody getting to RELIVE his life…. the way he wants it to be….. or wanted it to be and doing it the right way.

But it isn’t all of that – those of you who watched the movie must know what I am talking about , it was about NOT regretting our actions/ decisions that we have taken. It was about not living in the past but savouring the moment which we often forget to do because too often we are too busy looking back or too worried about the future. Like he did in the movie, always had a resentment towards life for missing out on the chance of being the best basketball player and not getting a formal education.

The movie also showed about forgetting to love the one we’ve been together with for a long long time, that tends to happen naturally, we start taking each other for granted and often miss out seeing those very same things we once fell in love with. Of course we love each other and care for each other but we forget to “be in love” with that person.  The new profound respect and admiration takes a backseat. So this movie also showed that the person is not just ‘ a wife’ or ‘a husband’ but an individual who has many ideas and talents that are often neglected or oversighted because of commitments and other issues.  Just like Scarlette and Mike – The garden scene where she transforms the backyard to this wonderful, mystical looking garden. The part where she’s dancing away, all of these things were not given any attention.

It also makes you realize to focus on the present – when he takes his daughter to the icecream parlour and wonders why she’s not enjoying it as she used to love it when she was a kid, she says “yes when I was 8″. It  depicted a very very important lesson for parents to learn – to pay attention and give time to their children as those times won’t come back.

In the end it also teaches us to follow our dreams, it may not be the way exactly how we imagined or wanted it to be, but it’s still worth chasing after our dream and making it come true in some form or the other. Mike becomes a basketball coach which was his passion and he gets to train his son who could live that dream and make it come true.

I really really enjoyed watching this movie because it was sweet and had a little something for everyone and of course Zac Efron was super cute!

Well as usual before I sign off, here’s a little food for thought for you all :

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don’t. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy. They just promised it would be worth it.

Love Always

R a s h

 

This Christmas we had to exchange gifts for the Secret Santa game, I bought a frame with this prayer on it and was quite pleased with myself for getting this and couldn’t wait for any one of my friends to get this beautiful prayer as a Christmas present.

Now, how many of us have come across this prayer, I am sure most of us possibly even have it as a magnet or frame or even as a bookmark kept somewhere in the corner of our homes without actually realizing the depth of wisdom in it.

Seriously, I don’t think that I realized it myself until I thought about it over and over again, that such a simple prayer could unearth the basic principles of life that we ought to understand.

Let’s go through the prayer once more , part by part

God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change -

This line tells us that often, we have no control over things or situations that happen around us , yet we stress ourselves out and just keep dwelling into those things that are beyond our control, things that aren’t really  in our hands .

Therefore, this line tells us to accept the things we CANNOT change with serenity- accepting our fate/destiny whatever you wish to call it and go on in life with our peace of mind.

The Courage to change the things I can

This line talks about having the ‘courage’ to change things we can , things which are in our control, things that could be in our control, but more often than not, we do not have the courage to make those changes.

Whether it’s the lousy job you wish to change but are afraid of a uncertain future if you changed it, or doing something that  you’ve always wanted but are afraid for whatever reasons.  We humans are always holding onto our ’safety blanket’, something we are familiar with, because we know of no other way and are ‘content’ with the way things are , sometimes we make ourselves believe that we are ‘content’ with the way things are going on.

Therefore, this line asks for the courage we need to make those changes, that will most likely make our lives better somewhat or the other, all we need is the courage to make the change.

and the Wisdom to know the difference.

Well, all I can say is that

“For those who understand no explanation is needed, for those who don’t no explanation is possible”

 

  L O V E

R a S h

Just before this post, I have posted about “weight loss” – now I started the weight loss program around end of November and being the social animal that I am – I was out with a couple of friends and I stuck to my guns and said NO I am following a diet and no snacks for me.

I was then asked a question “How come you are starting your diet NOW? With the holidays season just coming up, usually people do that after the holidays are over.”

I simply said whenever I wait for the new year – it doesn’t happen so I decided and just took the decision that I will do that NOW.

But why do we have to wait for ANYTHING?

we often say “when I have this, I will do this” – Why not do that thing just now? Just make time for it – and it will make its way in your life.

How many things do we do right now that we would rather not do? Like being in a silly party with people that you couldn’t care less about YET we make the effort of being there for the sake of it. Or listening to the rantings of some  friend, who just can’t be happy in life with what life has given them – YET we lend them our listening ear so those friends can feel better and lighter about their problems in life ? We often sacrifice our precious valuable time, doing things we DON’T even want to do, being with people we DO NOT want to be with……why not do things for ourselves? 

I’d like everyone to read this article if they are on facebook :

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/topic.php?uid=59070540112&topic=6034  

as the article says “what are you waiting for?”

Go and live the life you want to live NOW!

Give time to your loved ones NOW!

Go for that vacation NOW!

Love NOW!

FORGIVE NOW…………..

BE HAPPY NOW!

I was never a “FAT” kid, pleasantly plump yes but never considered fat.  And everytime I gained weight and then when I needed to lose it, all I needed to do was go on a salad diet and boiled beans and sprouts n tada after 2 weeks I would be back to normal. Then I gained tremendous weight  and I have tried going on the same diet for years now and the “2 weeks diet” just never works anymore! 

I have tried everything possible, every diet I have heard of  – the south beach diet, the juice diet, fruit diet etc, I have joined the gym and left it numerous times even water aerobics which was great fun!

Now here’s what I would like to tell everyone who is trying to lose weight out there : the fact is there is no easy way. When you decide to lose weight for whatever reasons, it’s making a big difference in your life for good. So weight loss is not just a temporary lifestyle you have to follow, it IS a lifestyle you adapt.

Diet AND exercise you got to follow both consistently. As for meals – do not do the same mistake I did eating 2 or 3 square meals a day without anything in between. Also my diet was all wrong, full of sugar, fat and mostly carbs- I ran away far from fruits.

Now I am not a professional but just sharing what I have learnt from my experience  after paying through my nose for a trainer! So what I am about to tell here, is probably what we all KNOW but just never follow it :

• Firstly, it’s not OK to skip meals especially Breakfast – so start having the most important meal of the day
• have a fruit at least 2-3 servings a day
• eat at least an hour BEFORE working out
• do not eat for an hour AFTER working out
• make vegetables your best friends – lots of greens
• poultry also is good you get protein
• low fat milk – decaf coffee
• less oil, less sugar
• it’s ok to have a bowl of rice once a day
• it’s also ok to have a banana as a fruit!
• whole wheat bread anytime
• weight training  of 3 or 4 sets of 15’s or 20’s
• stretching after every set
• cardio for minimum of 30 mins without a break – try to get at least 45 mins to an hour of it

Hope these tips will help some of you out there, who are desperately wanting to lose weight.

It’s very important to realize that as humans we are tempted and often cheat during our “diets” or exercise regime – it’s cool as long as you don’t lose focus and you cheat every once in a while!

Hey I do that ! I exactly know when my body is craving for chocolates or COKE! my worst enemy – but hey the scriptures tell us we must love our enemies so every once in a while – I do show my love to my worst enemy

In less than a month I lost approx 4 kilos and sadly for a week when I didn’t exercise nor did I remain strict with my diet and gained half of it back , I must admit I was kind of disappointed and upset but it’s christmas and it was my bday time! I shall lose it all again and lose some more in the next few months!

Also, very important is to be firm with your friends about your diet ‘ its ok 1 pc won’t hurt’ its ok diet tomorrow -           I have heard it all and I’ve even fallen for it  – as friends they should support you and let it be.

I love the fact that now I have got some curves and I do not look like a box – I sure make it a point to celebrate every lil achievement – that’s what life is all about……….loving and living each and every moment!

If I can’t get my ass to the gym, I just go for a walk with my ipod – I’ve learnt to love those walks and my alone time! Sometimes I just dance away at home to my favourite songs…..

soooo here’s hoping that in about 6 months there will be a MUCH more slimmer me and a sexier me!

Just in case I don’t get time to blog here’s wishing each and everyone

A VERY HAPPY, PEACEFUL AND HOPEFUL  NEW YEAR – WELCOME 2009 WITH OPEN ARMS ! Lots of HAPPINESS, JOY, WARMTH AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING – L O V E to everyone!

I finallly got my hands on this book which got me curious with it’s title and I must say it was a delight to read it!

The author very much sounded like me, a chatterbox!! truly that’s all we need in life don’t we?   EATING PRAYING AND LOVING!! not necessarily in that order……

The book talks about the most important and basic principle in life – we tend to run AFTER happiness all the time, when happiness lies WITHIN us.

Here’s wishing peace and happiness to EVERYONE!

‘Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.’ – Unknown

I stumbled across this quote few days back, and it couldn’t have come to me at a better time. With all that is happening, definitely needed some moral boost.

I am NOT going to divulge into any details, I do believe that we all truly are fighting some kind of a battle with life – it’s always there deep down in everyone’s life. Just nobody talks about it, or rather, no one really wants to talk about it.

There are days when we just got to face it with a smile even though there may be a storm brewing inside us, but do not be fooled by that smile that everyone keeps giving, look at their eyes, its the window to their soul. Do you really see the twinkle that shines, when a person is happy or is it just an empty smile?

We all tend to express our emotions differently, sometimes when we are bothered by situations how we handle our emotions can be totally different from somebody else and it’s ok because everybody has their own personality. We may withdraw ourselves from the world, or simply just vent out our frustrations in anger. However, the next time before we lose our cool – we should sit back and think, for just a second that maybe even the opposite person is fighting some inner battle and yet putting up a brave front.

Each and every one of us is fighting some kind of a battle. so…..

Here’s something to think about:

All battles in life serve to teach us something, even the battles we lose.  – Paolo Coelho

Peace always

R a S h

A wise man once said ” Unsolicited Advice is never appreciated”.

I used to be the sort of friend, who’d advice you, about every little thing that may be of concern to you. Always believed in the notion “a friend in need is a friend indeed”, hence it felt like a rightful duty as a friend to always protect and share whatever knowledge I could with my friends……whether or not it was sought by them.  I’ve always had the ‘motherly’ trait in me, to  look out for the near and dear ones, no matter what.  

But in time, as we grow older and wiser….. we must realize that it isn’t always OUR look out or OUR concern to impart our wisdom onto others, unless it’s asked for, no matter how good our intentions are.

Probably, the friend is the kind of child who learns by burning their fingers by playing with fire, no matter how much YOU tell them to stay away from it. Some people just don’t learn by listening and seeing others’ mistakes, they just got to go out there and see it for themselves and that’s perfectly fine because we all learn that way.

Honestly, how many times do we feel like rolling our eyes, when we are given some unwanted suggestions by people around us? Don’t we just feel like saying it’s ok I wanna do it this way and sometimes you may even know deep down somewhere, that maybe what I am about to do is wrong yet If I don’t try out how will I find out?

So the next time you are about to give any advice to your dear ones, think about it whether they are seeking out for any kind of advise to them or are they merely just sharing their thoughts with you.

Here’s something to ponder about : -

“Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back where I came from because I didn’t have the courage to say “YES” to life?” – Eleven Minutes, Paolo Coelho

Sometimes we need to learn life’s lessons by making those mistakes…..

 

Cheers

Rash

I work in an Int’l kindergarten school, where we are encouraged to get the kids in tune with the nature, and where learn through play format is applied. It is no doubt the best way to learn, and it’s been an eye-opener for me personally too.

Yet, there is something that terribly annoys me, when we use food to get creative with art. Using pasta to make necklaces, using corn starch to make goop, making salt dough out of flour them baking then and painting on it, using lentils/rice/corn to create a beautiful looking artwork made by children – our future!

No doubt that its a great learning experience and it looks fabulous seeing what the kids create out of it,    but its just disgusting to know that there are millions of children out there, who don’t even have toys to play with, let alone food! And millions more out there, who don’t even know if they will make it through the next meal, some would consider themselves lucky enough to get grain full of rice to survive!

I come from a background where we were taught not to waste food, “finish everything up on your plate”, to be thankful for the meal we’re having. Food was considered sacred and meant to be respected not wasted!

This kind of wastage is totally outrageous in my eyes, it’s no less than a crime to just let these kids enjoy life’s necessities as a form of art in luxury, when the same could be used to save some lives!

How will these kid learn to respect food, and realize it’s one of life’s most important necessity not a luxury that we can afford to play around with it!

The only part where I would agree to use food to play, would be to make the homemade playdough for kids to play with because its chemical free and it definitely does help to stimulate them in different ways, it can be stored upto 2 weeks easily and it’s safe and definitely enjoyable.

I’d be interested to get some comments on this……. please feel free to drop in a line or so.

 

 

 

The reason the title says “someone” and not just a “man’s” heart is because we women too enjoying having mouth watering delicacies! Whether or not it’s home cooked by our dream guy…….. what matters is he can make the dining experience worth it.

A recent discussion with some friends (just after valentine’s day) got me thinking about this topic and made me blog it.

When new in dating most couples opt for an Italian restaurant to dine in, I’m sure the wine helps to ease them out ! Yet, it’s not just about the wine but the whole experience, mainly the food is NOT messy – you could have your pastas without worrying about making a mess and it’s usually PENNE! not spaghetti , because it’s much easier to work your way through with that other than the wriggly spaghetti!

Can you imagine going on a date for the 1st time and ordering a burger? Or going for Chinese/Japanese/Korean – anything where you would need to use your chopsticks skills! If it’s someone like me who tends to be a ‘dropper’ (yes, I tend to drop things around my table while talking because of the hand gestures used while speaking!) it would be even more embarassing than the usual fork dropping on the floor!

 The theory goes, the more comfortable you get with your partner, the more you experiment with your food! And the day you realize, it doesn’t matter how the opposite person sees the mess you made while eating your burger or how the damn beancurd just wouldn’t get a grib by your chopsticks and you can laugh about it – that’s when you know you are very comfortable with that person!

Caution – Don’t ever try cooking with your partner ! You never make it through dinner

Bon Appetite everyone!!